Fire Department ladders extend to upper floors of a downtown mill building.
Photo: Josh McPhail
By Lee Burnett
Homeless people apparently set multiple fires on the top floor of the vacant International Woolen Mill on Monday, according to the Sanford Fire Department.
The fires are under investigation by Sanford Police and the Maine State Fire Marshal’s office.
Fire was reported shortly before 9 a.m. with flames showing above the roof, according to Southern Maine Scanner Alerts. Firefighters discovered the fourth floor filled with smoke from “four or five” fires, according to Assistant Chief Brian Watkins. Eventually, six ladder trucks arrived. Because of evidence of occupation by homeless people, “the entire building had to be searched,” he said.
It appears the fires were deliberately set using flooring, other scavenged materials and “whatever they could find,” Watkins said. “The police department knows all the players.”
Sanford police declined comment on the fire and referred questions to the State Fire Marshal’s office. The State Fire Marshal’s office did not return messages by press time.
Mario Frati of Miami, FL is the owner of the four-story, 90,000-square-foot building. At one time, he had ambitious plans to redevelop the building in cooperation with the city, but relations deteriorated. Frati now owes five years of back taxes on the building, according to City Clerk Erin McMann. As tax liens have matured, the city has waived the right to foreclose on the property, which she said is done when ownership involves adverse consequences.
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